March 9, 2020 ↔ no comments

Photo Tour of a Studio at Disney’s Riviera Resort

Dave

(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Riviera Resort, click here.)

PHOTO TOUR OF A STUDIO AT DISNEY’S RIVIERA RESORT

Disney’s Riviera Resort has two spaces with the word “Studio” in their names: Tower Studios and Deluxe Studios.

Tower Studios are two person spaces not of much interest to most.

Deluxe Studios at Disney’s Riviera Resort–which after this I will simply call Studios– are largely similar to what all the other Disney Vacation Club Resorts offer, and are the subject of this photo tour.

These Studios at Disney’s Riviera Resort are the best-designed DVC studios I have ever stayed in.  They include

  • The split bath layout that first emerged in the Studios at the Villas at the Grand Floridian
  • The flip-down under-TV bed that first showed up in the Studios in the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows
  • The fold-down queen beds that first showed up in the Cabins at Fort Wilderness (since replaced by fold-out couches)
  • Innovative approaches to under-bed storage that are much better than their precursors in the Polynesian Studios

Added to all this is a distinctive approach to the closet.  Fitting a closet, divided bath, kitchenette, and connecting door has in the past challenged the designers of Disney World studios. Poor compromises in the past have included moving the connecting door to the sleeping area (making it less peaceful to those sleeping there), including a small armoire rather than full closest, or rotating the closet and putting it in the wall between the bath and the sleeping are–adding humidity and providing easy access to only half the closet.

At Riviera, the brilliant solution in lock-off studios was to rotate the closet, but to provide access to it from entry space that was taken from what would otherwise be hall space to the connecting door in the entry of the next-door One Bedroom Villa.

As you enter, you’ll find the connecting door and this closet on one side, followed by the kitchenette. The other side has a split bath.

At the entry door itself (this is looking at from inside the studio) you’ll find a sundry shelf on one side and a coat rack on the other.  The object on the floor is a trash can. Not high-concept space branding, but there’s not a better location for it, except the closet, which is where I moved mine.

One side of the closet, pre trash can. Note the bedding above.

The other side includes a safe.

The safe is large–my book is 6 inches by 9.

Beyond the closet down the hall is a kitchenette, outfitted as is usual in DVC studios with a coffee maker, mini fridge, toaster, and microwave.

A closer view of the coffee service.

The cabinets above contain basic serving materials. Note the fun square plates. You can move things around to create storage space.

Under the sink is more storage.  I’ll be calling out storage as we go through this room, as it has no dresser.  There is plenty of storage in this studio, but it is in places other than dresser drawers.

The mini fridge…

…includes a small freezer compartment–broadening the utility of the microwave.

The other side of the room has a split bath, with a toilet and shower in one space…

…and a sink and a tub/shower combo in the other. Each space has its own door from the hall, and there is also a door between the two spaces. It’s hard to think of a more flexible layout in comparable square footage.

Some more bath detail: the shower-head in the shower…

The bench and toiletries in the shower

The sink, with storage below

The tub/shower combo–note the toiletries on the right wall

The shower-head in the combo, not as fancy as in the set-up in the dedicated shower.

Deeper in the room, you’ll find a queen bed and a couch.

The bed side from the back of the room.

A closer view of the queen. Note the headboard.

At the foot of and underneath the queen are two easily accessible large storage drawers.

There’s also room under the queen to store luggage. Out of boredom from taking so many similar shots, I used my backpack as a prop, but standard rolly bags will fit underneath as well.

On both sides of the queen you’ll find a bedside table.

Each has three small drawers.

Next to the queen is this couch and coffee table. Unlike the functionally similar couch in One Bedroom Villas, this couch is comfortable.

The coffee table has two drawers…

…that are quite large. (Rotate your table so the drawers face the TV side for better access to them.)

Don’t overload these drawers, as you have to move the coffee table to clear the fold-down bed that is mounted in the wall above the couch, which disappears as you unfold the bed.

The fold-down queen. Note the stylized dalmatians watching TV above the pillows.  I like the version of this at All-Star Movies better.

It may take you a minute to find the best place to put the coffee table after the bed is down. I slid mine under the foot of the bed until I found resistance.

The other side of the room has a 54″ TV above a thingy, and a table and two chairs.

The other side of the room from the back.

From the thingy this bed folds down. I measured it as having a mattress about 74 inches long by 32 inches wide. The framing around the back of the bed makes it sleep pretty tight–there’s only a couple more inches of clearance at the foot and head of the bed.

I like the frogs at Port Orleans Riverside better.

Outside you will find either a balcony, or if you are on the lowest floor as I was, a patio.

All in, these studios at Disney’s Riviera Resort are about as good as you will find at Walt Disney World.

PHOTO TOUR OF THE LIVING-DINING-KITCHEN SPACE OF ONE AND TWO BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S RIVIERA RESORT

This review continues here.

The long-time travel agent partner of this site, Kelly, can book you at Disney’s Riviera Resort or anywhere else at Disney World.  Contact her using the form below!

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PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S RIVIERA RESORT

 

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